investigation of failure criteria for concrete quay walls during earthquake using finite element method

 quay walls are commonly constructed to prevent landward erosion of shorelines and maintain configuration of the area behind them against wave action. earthquake waves, acting on the foundation of a quay wall, cause an oscillatory motion of the wall body. because of the vital role of the quay walls in protection of the coastal areas, special attention to design and construction of them is necessary. according to present study, a typical concrete quay wall with backfill soil is modeled using finite element method (fem) by taking the effects of foundation and sea into account, and several real earthquake records are applied as the base accelerations. according to dynamic equations and applying earthquake motions, the dynamic behavior of the quay wall is characterized and its failure criteria are investigated. the results demonstrate a great step for optimum design of quay walls against different loading combinations particularly for earthquake forces.